Southwest Airlines to start service in Denver

DENVER - Southwest Airlines will resume service in Denver next year after a 20-year absence, likely triggering lower fares yet posing fresh problems for airlines already struggling with higher fuel prices.

Although Southwest has shunned Denver International Airport for more than a decade because of its high costs, the Dallas-based carrier - in the midst of an expansion - reconsidered because those costs have declined.

It will compete head-to-head against United Airlines as it emerges from bankruptcy and Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which combined have about 75 percent of DIA's market.

Frontier's stock dropped 29 percent on the news, closing at $7.68 a share on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Representatives of both United, which operates the low-cost carrier Ted, and the low-fare Frontier noted they already face Southwest in other cities and that they will be competitive on ticket prices when Southwest is in Denver.

Southwest will start small with plans to expand as the traffic builds. Details on when it will start, schedules, fares and gates will be released next week.

"We've been concerned about the costs at DIA in the past but they have done a remarkable job in getting their costs downs to levels that make sense to Southwest Airlines," Southwest Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said.

Another factor was current ticket prices at DIA, which he called high. "We'll have a modest start in Denver early next year and we'll just have to take it from there," Kelly said during a conference call with the news media.



First lady touts children's conservation program in visit to Denver

DENVER - First lady Laura Bush visited Denver on Thursday to promote a conservation education program, saying children spend too much time indoors in front of computers and televisions.

"It is really important for us to let young people know how magnificent our world is and our country is and how important it is for them to be outside to experience nature like all of us got to when we were children," Bush told a crowd of about 50 wealthy business people, including billionaire Phil Anschutz.

Bush is honorary co-chair of the "Connecting our Children to America" campaign to raise $10 million for the National Park Foundation's Junior Ranger program, which teaches children about national parks.

"Children have great enthusiasm for the Junior Ranger program and we want more children to be able to experience the fun and the education found in our national parks. Ultimately we hope that many of our junior rangers will actually grow up to be real park rangers, dedicating their lives to national parks," Bush told the group gathered for lunch in a 1930s Mansion.



Secretary of State dismisses complaint against Holtzman

DENVER - Secretary of State Gigi Dennis dismissed an informal complaint claiming Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman violated state campaign laws by appearing in television ads opposing a budget fix on the November ballot on Thursday.

Dennis said it might violate Holtzman's freedom of speech if she tried to bar him from appearing in television ads opposing two measures on the November ballot while running for office.

Holtzman appeared in TV ads denouncing Referendum C, which will ask voters in November whether to forgo billions in tax rebates to help fix problems with the state budget. Critics said the ads give Holtzman television time for his gubernatorial campaign, which has made defeating the measure a key theme.



Wyoming court mulls whether fines alone can sway rich landowners

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The owners of a 13,000-square-foot house near Jackson should be forced to tear down an addition they installed in deliberate violation of Teton County's land use regulations, a lawyer for the county told the Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday.

But a lawyer for homeowners Thomas and Carol-Anne Crow urged the court to let the couple's home stand, noting that the Crows early this year paid a $363,000 fine for violating the county's rules.